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Shel Silverstien

Shel Silverstien Shel Silverstein was a highly talented individual. He has been involved in many traits throughout his life. Some of his traits include poetry, writing, illustrating, singing, composing, and performing. Hugh Hefner said, “He was a giant as a talent, a giant as a human being, “ says Hefner. “He really was a Renaissance man.” (Pascual, 64) She Silverstein was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 25, 1930. He was born to Nathan and Helen Silverstein whom named him Sheldon Allen Silverstein. Shel has always had a natural talent for drawing and writing. He said they were the only things he was good at. Silverstein said, When I was a kid—12, 14, around there—I would much rather have been a good baseball player or a hit with the girls. But I couldn’t play ball, I couldn’t dance. Luckily, the girls didn’t want me; not much I could do about that. So, I started to draw and to write. I was also lucky that I didn’t have anybody to copy, be impressed by. I had developed my own style, I was creating before I knew there was a Thurber, a Benchley, a Price and a Steinberg. I never saw their work till I was around 30. By the time I got to where I was attracting girls, I was already into work, and it was more important to me. Not that I wouldn’t rather make love, but the work has become a habit. (Mercier) Shel Silverstein has had many professions, all of which contributed to his great success as children’s book author. In the 1950’s he served as a member of the U.S. military forces in Korea and Japan. While serving in the military he was a cartoonist for the military newsletter, Pacific Stars and Stripes. In 1956 Hugh Hefner gave Silverstein his first big break. Hefner, being the editor and founder of Playboy Magazine, started publishing Silverstien’s cartoons, stories, and poems in the adult magazine. I feel this is a very strange thing for a children’s book author and illustrator to have done this kind of work before he wrote for children. It can make a person wonder if any of his ideas ever came from earlier works. In the early 1960’s Silverstein started becoming a respected composer in the folk genre. His works were used by many artists such as, Johnny Cash, Irish Rovers, Brothers Four, Lynn Anderson, Loretta Lee, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bobby Bore, and Dr. Hook. The most successful artists using Silverstien’s work was Dr. Hook. Dr. Hook produced a series of singles and records for the band. The biggest hit was “Cover of the Rolling Stone”. Silverstein started producing music around 1980. He produced a new folksong album entitled, The Great Conch Train Robbery. He also was a Grammy-winning composer and lyricist. He wrote many hit songs including “A Boy Named Sue” (recorded by Johnny Cash) and “Cover of the Rolling Stone” (recorded by Dr. Hook). The song, “A Boy Named Sue”, seems to be partly based on Shel Silverstein. The song is about a boy who was named Sue by his father who left him. The boy is made fun of and does not like his name. Shel Silverstein’s nickname was Shelly. I seemed to have found a connection between the girl-like names of the character in the song and Shel himself. Shel Silverstein never comes out and says he does not like his name, but from his writings it can be interpreted. Silverstein also received a Best Song Oscar nomination for “I’m Checkin’ Out,” from the film Postcards from the Edge. “…he utilises his unique voice to demonstrate his songs, and his style is a blending of energy, joy, a sense of rhythm, whispers, yelps and groans.” (Baggelaar, 353) Silverstein also wrote ten plays and co-wrote the 1988 screenplay Things Change with David Mamet. His first play was The Lady and the Tiger and it was produced at the Ensemble Studio Theater’s annual festival of one-act plays. Silverstein had never thought he would write children’s books. It was his friend Tomi Unger that took Silverstein to Ursula Nordstrom’s office whom in which persuaded him that he in fact could write for children. Nordstrom became Silverstein’s editor and they developed a mutually rewarding relationship between them. Silverstein, author-illustrator, says he would not change something because an editor suggested it. Silverstein adds, “…he will take a suggestion for a revision. I do eliminate certain things when I’m writing for children if I think that only an adult will get the idea. Then I’ll drop it, or save it. But editors messing with the content? No.” (Mercier) Silverstein donated the book Where the Sidewalk Ends to his editor Ursula Nordstrom. Silverstein is a very giving man. Ursula Nordstrom knows this as she has had the honor of working with Silverstein throughout his career. Silverstein has written and illustrated many children’s books. However children are not the only ones that love Silverstien’s style. Silverstein tries to reach out to as many people as he can with his writing. He states, I would hope that people, no matter what age, would find something to identify with in my books, pick up one and experience a personal sense of discovery. That’s great. But for them, not for me. I think that if you’re a creative person, you should just go about your business, do your work and not care about how it’s received. I never read reviews, because if you believe the good ones you have to believe the bad ones too. Not that I don’t care about success. I do, but only because it lets me do what I want. I was always prepared for success but that means that I have to be prepared for failure too. (Mercier) Silverstein is right when he states “if you believe the good ones you have to believe the bad ones too.” (Mercier) The reviews are not always what they should be. I feel that Silverstein’s choosing not to read the reviews has influenced the way he writes. If he would take into account that a person does not like what he has written and it is his personal favorite, it would very much effect his writing style. To write something and know someone loves it means the world compared to reading a review and finding out someone, who does not matter, dislikes your work. The book The Giving Tree was one of Shel Silverstein’s most honored works. The book however developed much controversy behind it. The book is about a tree that gives all she can to a boy that loves her. The boy takes all he can from the tree until it has nothing left to give. The boy then gives back to the tree all he can give. The boy and the tree love each other. Many reviews have been written against the book. Many have said that it promotes something unnatural and not fit for the child’s mind. I feel the book is a great example of giving. The book contains good intentions and should not be taken the wrong way. It is a children’s book and imagination is key with children. Shel Silverstein states, I have an ego, I have ideas, I want to be articulate, to communicate but in my own way. People who say they create only for themselves and don’t care if they are published…I hate to hear talk like that. If it’s good, it’s to good not to share. That’s the way I feel about my work. (Mercier) I feel what Silverstein has said clearly relates to the book, The Giving Tree. Silverstein did not take his book off the shelf because some bad reviews. He did not care about the reviews because he knew he had written a good book. I admire Shel Silverstein for his ability to stand up for what he believes in. Shel Silverstein’s books are very intriguing. Each one is special in relation to the rhymes and illustrations created by each page of every book. The books and poems Shel Silverstein has written hold a very welcoming sense to them. They are cheery and fun to read. In the book Where the Sidewalk Ends, a favorite of mine, the invitation is especially inviting. The invitation reads, If you are a dreamer, come in, If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer… If you’re a pretender, come sit by my fire For we have some flax-golden tales to spin. The warmth and friendliness of the book is so intense. It is filled with short poems and rhymes. Each one of which creates a certain rhythm about it that will keep you reading for more. Silverstein had a gift recognized by many. His talents could hardly go unnoticed. His gift for writing children’s literature was extraordinary. The most successful books he has written are, The Giving Tree and Where the Sidewalk Ends. Silverstein had a certain way for communicating with children. Jules Feiffer, one of Silverstein’s many friends, says “He imagined things the way kids do when they’re little, and it goes away when they’re older—only in his case it didn’t go away,” he says. “I admired his line very,very much,” he adds, “and stole it from him as much as I could.” (Pascual) Silverstein gift for thinking like children is surely a big part of his success. He does not only connect with the children but also with the adults. He seems to have an affect on the adults as much as with the children. Adults just want to be taken back to their childhood where they can relate with their children, and Shel Silverstein has give them that opportunity. Shel Silverstein was one of the greatest children’s book author-illustrators of our time. Sheldon Silverstein past away on May 10, 1999 of a heart attack in his home in Key West, Florida. His death took many by surprise. Shel never smoked or drank. He stayed fit by walking everywhere and practicing yoga. His death was unexpected and leaves everyone to wonder what wonderful creation would he have created next. “He had a real big heart,” says friend Chuck Krumel. “He’s going to be missed.” (Pascual) Shel Silverstein left his mark on our children’s literature. His gift of writing and illustrating will not soon be forgotten. Shel Silverstein has changed many lives in the way of literature. Children who have read his books are sure to have enjoyed them. I know I have. Silverstein was one talented man whom greatly succeeded in life. From his award winning songs to his award winning books, he truly has accomplished more than he has ever thought he would. He has come far in the world of literature. His cartoons, plays, poems, songs, and books have truly impacted our lives. Shel Silverstein was a highly talented individual. Silverstein stated, “I want to go everywhere, look at and listen to everything,” –and he did. (Pascual) Bibliography: Baggelaar, K. and D. Molton. Shel Silverstein. The Folk Music Encyclopedia 1976 Ed 353. Mercier, Jean F. “Shel Silverstein.” Publishers Weekly 24 February 1975. “Milestones.” Time 24 May 1999: v152 i20 35. Pascual, Axia M. “Bard Brain.” People weekly 24 May 1999 v51 i19 64+ Ramsey, Inez. Student Book Review. Shel Silverstein (1932-1999) on CD-ROM. Silverstein, Shel. The Giving Tree. New York: Harper & Row, 1964. Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends. New York: Harper Collins, 1974.

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